Improvement in rubbing apparatus for medical purposes



(156') GEORGEHTAYLOR.

, Rubbihg Apparatus for Mdical Purposes.

N0. 122,500; Patentedlan.2,1872-. r

was:

"UNITED STATES ATENT FFICE.

GEOEGE H. TAYLOR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 122,500, dated January 2, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. TAYLOR, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Rubbing Apparatus for Medical Purposes, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, and in which- Figures 1 and 2 are central vertical sections, at right angles to each other, of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in both figures.

My invention, relates to a rubbing apparatus for medical purposes in which two or more oppositely-arranged rubbers having a reciprocating motion simultaneously in reverse directions are used for operation upon the limb or portion of the body disposed between them; and the invention consists in a combination with said rubbers or rubbing surfaces of certain mechanism for actuating and controlling them, including a pressure-lever capable of graduation as to its load, and which may be governed by a spring, weight, or manual force to regulate the frictional action of the rubbers.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, A

represents a bench or couch on which the patient to be operated upon rests, and B B the oppositely-arranged rubbers between which the limb or portion of the body to be treated is placed; said rubbers forming jaws, as it were, pivoted below, as at b b, to opposite ends of a rocking beam, 0, and projecting a suitable height above or through a slot, 0, in the couch. This arrangement facilitates the entry of the limb between the rubbers, which are reciprocated simultaneously in reverse directions by a pit-man, (I, through a revolving crank, 8, attached to a shaft, j, which is driven either by hand or by a pulley, g, the pit-man (I being connected with the rocking beam 0, and the pulley 9 being arranged, if desired, on the outside of the room in which the apparatus is situated, and being operated by steam or other power.

The rubbers B B or legs thereof are steadied and directed in their reciprocating movements, and provision made for the expansion and contraction of the rubbers-that is, their variation in distance-by arranging said legs to pass loosely through eyes or straps on the upper ends of levers D D, provided with antifriction rollers h it, against which the backs of the legs of the rubbers rest and slide upon or over. These levers D D are pivoted below, as at i, and are controlled by a pressure-lever, E, having its fulcrum atlr, and connected on opposite sides of the latter by links Z l with the levers D D, so that upon a spring, weight, or other force being applied to the outer end of the lever B to depress it the rubbers B B are brought toward each other and their frictional action on the limb or body increased, and so that on lifting said lever the pressure is diminished. This arrangement leaves the rubbers freethat is, they are not impeded by a controlling springand are made to glide smoothly or freely over or against the rollers h it, and the pressure-lever E is capable of graduation as to its load. Thus it may be governed by a weight, W, adjustable on said lever, or removable therefrom to admit of its replacementby a lighter or heavier one; and said lever be furthermore controlled by hand, it desired, either by the medical attendant or his I patientns for instance, in the latter case, by a cord attached to the outer end of the springborne or weighted lever E, and whereby the patient may regulate the frictional pressure of the rubbers as he prefers.

That is here claimed, and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is-

l. 'lhe combination ,with theopeuin g and closing reciprocating rubbers B B of an attached or connected pressure-lever, 1*], capable of graduation as to its load or of adjustinentto regulate the frictional pressure of the rubbers, substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the oppositely arranged reciprocating rubbers B B, the lower rocking beam 0 to which said rubbers are pivoted, the pitinan d, and revolving crank e, the levers l) D carrying friction -rollers h h, and the weighted or spring-borne pressure-lever E, the whole arranged to operate essentially as shown and described.

GEO. H. TAYLOR.

Witnesses:

R. E. RABEAU, FRED. HAYNES. 

